SOCHI, Russia (AP) — Alexander Bukharov salvaged a 3-3 draw for Russia against Belgium in stoppage time on Tuesday to cap a comeback from being 3-1 down.
Defender Viktor Vasin had given Russia an early lead before Roman Neustadter gave away a penalty with a clumsy challenge on Belgium forward Christian Benteke.
Kevin Mirallas converted the spot-kick, and Benteke followed up with two goals shortly before halftime. Substitute Bukharov set up Alexei Miranchuk to make it 3-2 in the 76th minute before leveling in the second minute of injury time.
Despite the encouraging comeback, next year’s World Cup host Russia has still won only two of its last 13 games.
It was the first football match at the 47,700-seat Fisht stadium in Sochi, which hosted the Winter Olympic opening ceremony in 2014 but needed extensive reconstruction for the 2018 World Cup.
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
